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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lash · row · stock · suit · game · wake · content · clip

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. suit — in cards
  4. clip — to cut
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. clip — a video
  9. wake — a trail
  10. game — wild animals
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. clip — for paper
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. suit — clothes
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. row — a line
  20. suit — to fit
  21. content — happy
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. game — a match
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com